Players

by Rachel Cross

  “Well, it’s only been a month, Mr. Goldberg. And I can’t take all of the credit for Nathan’s hard work.

  “I’m not asking you to. But, Tiana, I have to say we really were mistaken when we didn’t give you a promotion.”

  “Thank you. I—”

  “Don’t thank me. Take the director’s position for Fiete. Details are in the email for what you’ll be covering.”

  Taking a deep breath, she smiled. “Thank you. I’ll review the offer and consider it over the weekend.” She gave him a genuine smile. Of course I’m taking this job!

  Her cell phone buzzed and vibrated on the desk.

  “I’ll let you check that.” Rising from the chair, he moved toward the door. “Like I said, leave and enjoy the weekend. Have a wonderful night.”

  “You, too, Mr. Goldberg,” she said to his retreating back. She glanced at her screen. Hmmm . . . a text from Nathan. Her heart skipped a beat. Maybe he was finally coming to his senses and wanted to talk.

  I’m downstairs. Came to surprise you.

  Jumping out of her seat, she rushed out of the office, excited to see her man and share the good news.

  • • •

  Nathan had tried to surprise Tiana at her apartment, but after a few minutes of buzzing the intercom, he realized his little overachiever was most likely chained to her desk. Damn, he was more nervous than a virgin on prom night. But still, he owed it to her to try. He had to move past his natural inclination to distrust.

  But it was hard. Renita’s taunt had struck deeper than he’d like to admit. His mother was the type to backstab a coworker. To take and conquer, damn the consequences. Which was why she was single and secretly still pining for Pops.

  Did she regret her choices? Ultimately, she’d chosen her career over love . . . love for her husband and son.

  Tiana isn’t your mother. He was going to make things right and claim his woman. For good. She might put up a fight—hell, she deserved to smack him a few times—but he wouldn’t give in or give up.

  Swerving his car into the company’s garage, he swiped his rarely used badge. Typically, he would’ve taken the subway or walked to work. But since he’d come straight from Connecticut, Nathan had been driving.

  After taking the elevator from the lobby, he rushed through the dark and quiet office. He stopped in his tracks when he recognized Mr. Goldberg’s voice in Tiana’s office.

  “Oh no, young lady. You are the star of the agency. I’ve been getting calls and emails from Fiete’s VP of sales. He’s over the moon about the sales projection for the quarter. Forbes.com recognized them for their innovative marketing, thanks to us. And not to mention the team. They responded to your special brand of leadership. With the account expansion, we see big things for you and the team.”

  “Well, it’s only been a few weeks. And I can’t take all of the credit for Nathaniel’s hard work.”

  “I’m not asking you to. But, Tiana, I have to say we really were mistaken when we didn’t give you a promotion.

  “Thank you. I—”

  “Don’t thank me. Take the director’s position for Fiete. Details are in the email for what you’ll be covering.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Goldberg. I’ll review the offer and consider it over the weekend.”

  Nathan staggered from the door. He’d heard enough. Isaac’s words “Take the director’s position for Fiete,” looped in his mind. She’d swooped in and stolen his job. Just like his mother, Tiana had chosen her career and her ambitions over love. Rushing through the cubicle maze, he finally arrived at the elevator and blindingly jabbed the lower level button.

  After all the countless hours I’d put into that account. Those were my damn ideas they’d salivated over and now they’re giving my job to her!

  No. He wouldn’t leave like a dog with its tail between its legs. He was going to confront his conniving, soon-to-be ex-girlfriend. He needed to see her eyes and understand why she’d betrayed him.

  Grabbing the phone from his pocket, he texted Tiana as he rode the elevator down to the lobby.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  “Nathan!” Tiana rushed into his arms and stiffened when he didn’t hug her back. Long seconds passed without him uttering a word.

  She backed away, unsure of his mood. Fathomless midnight eyes shone from a blank mask highlighting a scruffy beard and full lips.

  “What are you doing here? I thought you had another week before you returned to work?”

  “You’d just love that, wouldn’t you?” His cold words dripped like a slow leaky faucet.

  “What are you talking about? Of course I want you back. I miss you.”

  His nostrils flared. “Do you?”

  “Yes.” She wrapped an arm around her waist. Where in the hell did he get off treating her like an enemy? He was the one who’d promised to call and hadn’t.

  “I’m confused. You texted that you came to surprise me. I’m surprised all right. Surprised you had the audacity to leave your dad, drive all the way from Connecticut, and then act like a class-A asshole. What is up with you?” Leaning in, she jabbed a finger into his stone chest. “Now you’re the one with a stick up the ass.”

  Dark eyes drilled her like bullets. “Fine. I see you aren’t going to confess anything unless I call you out, so here goes. I heard the conversation between you and Isaac. He offered you the director position.”

  “Yes, he did, and I plan to accept. What’s the big deal?” She shrugged. “I thought you’d be happy for me.”

  “Happy for you?” His voice rose like a tidal wave as he clenched and unclenched his fists. “Are you out of your damn mind? You went behind my back, stole my job while my dad nearly died in the hospital, and I’m supposed to be happy?”

  “S-stole your job?” Tiana’s words floated above a whisper.

  The rose-colored glasses shattered. Standing before her was the old Nathaniel she loved to hate—a handsome and prideful bastard. No beauty on the inside. Uncaring and unrelenting. Her nails dug and pierced her palms. How she longed to slap his too-handsome face to make him feel a fraction of the pain she felt for loving and losing again.

  “I have to ask you the same question . . . are you out of your damn mind? You seriously think I’d steal your job?”

  “I know what I heard.”

  “Then you must not have heard it all. I didn’t steal—”

  “I’m not listening to another minute of your lies.”

  “Just wait a minute, Nathan. I am not a liar, and you need to listen to me before you say something that you can’t take back.”

  “The only mistake I wish I could take back is seeing you again. You have been a pain in my ass since day one. I should’ve followed my gut when you interviewed for the job and told them not to hire you. You are a backstabbing, disloyal ice queen.”

  “Nathan.” Her voice broke over his callous words. Try as she might, a tear slipped and rolled down her cheek.

  He backed away. “It’s a damn shame you’re such a beautiful liar.”

  • • •

  Tiana rushed back to her office, tears streaming down her face, still in shock from Nathan’s accusations. Oh, the bastard wasn’t getting away with having the last word.

  She clicked on the keyboard, logging into her email. Scanning the inbox, she found the message Mr. Goldberg had sent. Quickly reading through the contents, she stopped when she found what she’d been looking for. She highlighted, bolded, and underlined the details about her covering the luxury sedan line, not the stupid sports line, and then forwarded the damning evidence to Nathan’s personal and work emails.

  “Take that, you arrogant jerk!”

  Pacing the floor of her office, she was partially pissed and all the way hurt. Since his father’s heart attack, he’d been MIA. Now the one time she needed him, he’d disappeared.

  They all leave, Mom. The twins, Greg, Mel, and now Nathan.

  Garrett’s voice overpowered her negative thoughts. Fight for my son.

&nbs
p; She shook away his voice. I’ll fight him, all right. She shut down the computer.

  She would make him eat his words and then later crush him with her rejection. She’d take the power back and would never let anyone hurt her again.

  • • •

  Hands in pocket with his head down, Nathan roamed the streets of New York, pushing through the crowds of pedestrians. Thirty minutes later, he ended up at Dining in the Dark. He rushed through the doors, hoping to sit in peace at the bar while most of the patrons dined in the back.

  The bell over the door chimed. The young blind man from months before jerked his head. “Take a seat. The bar is open.”

  Nathan expelled a deep breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. “Appreciate it.”

  “What can I get ya?”

  “Whisky. Neat.”

  The bartender nodded. “You got it.”

  He fixed the drink and slid it in front of Nathan.

  “Thanks, man.”

  “Not a problem.”

  Nathan took a sip and slumped into the high back seat at the bar. Closing his eyes, his mind replayed the argument with Tiana. Regret shook him to the core. He’d said a lot of harsh things, and yet she’d insisted she was innocent.

  What if she was innocent? What if I’m wrong?

  Then he would lose her forever. Tiana wasn’t one to easily forgive and forget. But if he was right, he’d dodged the bullet. They said sons married women like their mothers. No way in hell was he going to be duped like his father had been, and fall for a woman who loved money and career and ambition over family.

  An uneasy feeling spread in his chest and crawled up his throat. Outside of today, Tiana had never given him a reason not to trust her. That damn movie replayed again, this time stopping and skipping through time.

  The way her eyes smoldered when they debated in class during grad school, often on opposite sides of how to approach a problem. His mind fast-forwarded to graduation. She’d handwritten every classmate a note, and to his surprise, he received one, too, and it didn’t read, “Go to hell.”

  No, his Tiana was pure class. Good luck on your journey. Despite our differences, you are intelligent and driven, and your future success will undoubtedly be well-earned. Best of luck. He’d memorized every word. The card was now tucked safely away in his sock drawer. She almost found it one day when she’d scrounged through his dresser, looking for a T-shirt.

  Shit. That was all the proof he needed. The truth was in her smile, in the love that had shone in her eyes, in the way she’d treated everyone from her boss to her intern. He needed to fix the mess he made. ASAP. But he didn’t know how. Tiana would not be welcoming him with open arms, of that he was sure.

  What can I do? He took another sip of his drink. I could step down. Give her the position. Damn, he wanted the role, but she deserved it. She deserved to know that he was willing to sacrifice anything and everything for her. No one had ever sacrificed for her.

  His phone vibrated in his back pocket. He grabbed it and opened the screen. An email from Tiana. He scanned the email and pounded his fist into the counter.

  “Whoa, there,” the bartender shouted from behind the counter and raised his hands.

  “Sorry. Here’s my card. I need to pay for the drink and go.”

  “Yeah. Good idea,” the bartender muttered under his breath as he opened his palm for the card.

  “Idiot!” he whispered. He scanned his contact list and selected Tiana’s number. A picture of her, hair spread on his pillow, popped on the screen. A painful burn singed his chest. I can’t lose her.

  After three rings, surprisingly, Tiana answered the phone. “What?” she yelled into his earpiece.

  “Peaches, I—”

  “Oh no. No, no, no. Don’t you ever—” Her voice grew louder and colder. “Ever again call me that name. I’ll never bite into another damn peach, that’s just how much I hate the name and the memories associated with it.”

  “I’m sorry, baby. I believe you. I promise I worked it out before I read your email.”

  “Oh, suuuuure. How convenient you suddenly believe me. Not when I practically begged you to believe me before.”

  His anxiety spiked. He didn’t blame her distrust. He’d done nothing to earn it.

  “Baby, let me make it up to you.”

  “There is nothing you can do.” Her voice wobbled. “I didn’t answer to work things out. I answered to let you know that I never want to speak to you again. Do not come by my place. Do not call or text or email me. And unless absolutely necessary, do not speak to me at work.”

  His heart plummeted. His fault. All his damn fault. Still, he wasn’t giving up. He was a fighter.

  “I’m so sorry, baby. I’ll make it up to you, you’ll see. We can work this out.”

  “Do not test me. I’m not interested in anything you have to say. Goodbye, Nathaniel.”

  She hung up, and he hung his head.

  A pale hand slid a drink in front of him. He jerked his head and looked at the bartender. The bartender looked straight ahead, and with a white cloth in hand, buffed the counter. “On me. Sounds like you need another.”

  “Yeah. I do.” He grabbed the drink and gulped. The whisky blazed a fiery path from his throat to his stomach.

  “You’ll just have to win her back. You’ll have to do something epic, but you’ll figure it out.”

  • • •

  Tiana had been a woman of her word. It’d been almost a month, and he’d been back in the office for a few weeks. Any time he tried to come near her at work, she turned the corner. One day he got desperate and tricked Julia into planning a meeting to recap the results from Jake’s campaign. Tiana had faked a headache and had the intern be her proxy in communicating the numbers.

  So now he was pulling out the big guns and meeting secretly with her best friend, Melanie. He’d tracked down her email from a media list database. She instantly replied and asked that they meet at a restaurant in secret.

  He settled into the booth as he waited for Tiana’s enthusiastic friend. He was so glad she was on his side. That would make things so much easier. And he needed all the help he could get.

  “I should castrate you.” He heard a low and harsh voice whisper from behind him. His body tensed as he turned.

  Arms crossed, Melanie looked at him with undisguised disgust.

  “I thought you were on my side?”

  Shaking her head, she stomped to the other side of the booth, still standing. His eyes followed her angry path. “No, I came here to determine whether or not I want to risk ten to fifteen years behind bars. I heard prisons were nice these days. Three square meals, and I could still write in the slammer. Maybe I can create a blog. It’ll be the written version of the television show Snapped.”

  He leaned in his seat. Damn if she didn’t seem like she was considering homicide.

  “I should’ve let her lop off your head like the female dancing spider,” she muttered not too softly under her breath.

  He didn’t have time for her crazy rambling. He needed to win his woman back.

  “I love Tiana.”

  “And?” She tapped her toes on the floor.

  “And I want her back.”

  “You want her?” She threw back her head and laughed. Her spirally curls bounced around her shoulders. “You know what my husband did to win me over?”

  “No.”

  “He asked me to marry him in front of thousands of people.” She leaned forward and pointed her finger at him. “What’s your plan? We need magic, drama, and romance. Tiana needs and deserves more than words and, furthermore, to comply with something you want.”

  He gestured to the seat across from her. “I have an idea. An epic idea, and I need your help.”

  “Fine.” She turned to her seat and settled. “Dazzle me.”

  He leaned forward, and for the next hour they hashed out a plan.

  Melanie nodded. “I’ve gotta admit. That’s a damn good plan.”

&nb
sp; He grinned at her. “Excellent. We shoot for next Sunday. Central Park.”

  “Why on a Sunday?”

  Nathan shrugged. “It’s her favorite day of the week. Might as well stack the cards in my favor.”

  “Good idea. See you then.” She rubbed her hands together. “You know, the word of the day was D-bag. But now, I’m inspired.” She snapped her fingers. “Orison is the word of the day.”

  “What the hell does orison mean?”

  “A fancy word for appeal. Prayer. You’re gonna need it.” She winked and walked away.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Tiana smiled at Mel as they walked through Central Park. Her friend was buzzing for some reason. Tiana suspected she had good news to share. Is she already pregnant?

  A brief prick of jealousy poked her chest. She would be happy for her friend, no doubt about it. But she was so dang lonely.

  Her only close friend in the city was in newlywed bliss. And Nathan . . . Sighing, she nearly tripped over the memories that attacked her. She missed him.

  But he was wrong, and she couldn’t allow him or anyone to have power over her emotions ever again.

  Mel looked down at her watch and then glanced around.

  Tiana stopped at the bench. “Girl, what is up with you?”

  Her friend struggled to hide a smile. “Nothing.” Her voice squeaked.

  Tiana rolled her eyes. “Sure, it’s nothing. And I’m the Queen of England.”

  A trumpet heralded throughout the park. It sounded like one of the horns before the battle of Rohan in Lord of the Rings.

  “Hear ye, hear ye.” A tall lanky man in a gray and pointy wizard hat stepped in front of her and her best friend. “Gather ’round as we take you through a journey. An epic journey to save Middle-Earth and to find a ring. The one true ring that will allow even the coldest of hearts to forgive and love again.”

  A host of other people, dressed like hobbits and elves and dwarves, gathered in a semicircle around the wizard.

  Garrett and Martha waved at her from a few feet away.